


Contingency

by Anonymous



Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Energon
Genre: M/M, Mnemosurgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21819190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Even after having the revived Starscream’s memories recovered, something was still missing.
Relationships: Megatron/Starscream
Comments: 1
Kudos: 55
Collections: Anonymous





	Contingency

**Author's Note:**

> TF Energon/Superlink (using the English names for consistency). Loosely inspired by a SF short story I sadly have forgotten the name of.

"I declare my undying loyalty to you, Lord Megatron." 

The words had been spoken, declaration lacking any trace of a lie, and yet it had been wrong. Megatron, felt the satisfaction of knowing he had one more number under his rule, one more weapon to utilise as he wished, but something was _off_. 

If he wanted that undying loyalty Starscream had declared him there were enough mechs willing to lay their life for him, either out of fear or idiotic blind loyalty that was as thin and fragile as their sugar-coated words.

He wanted more. Even if it was just from this one mech. The one who had fought for him, betrayed him, reprimanded him, loved him, that he had loved back even if it had been too late to salvage into something sustainable. This was a second chance. It was sentimental, but Starscream had always been his one exception (his one biggest weakness).

He remembered the words of Optimus, how as he was not acting on pure selflessness, Megatron was not purely selfish either, not a single target pointed at conquest. The proof of this not even he could deny was a single mech. 

Now he was back, reprogrammed into loyalty to him as opposed to another one of their enemies. _But what did this loyalty even mean?_ Megatron didn't want a puppet. 

If he were to admit his irrational desire, he wanted the other's yearning for him to be real. It was only natural, when he still couldn't erase his feelings for this _one_ , his one exception to everything he claimed was beyond him, once loved mech.

Once, the Starscream he knew had looked up to him, been _the ideal_ in his eyes, and own words. Megatron knew he was undeserving yet only allowed Starscream to both see his weaknesses but also to see past them to allow into him something illogical and more personal. And Megatron, as his biggest weakness had allowed Starscream into his spark, even if the realization of his importance to him come too late.

And now. Starscream wasn't lacking those feelings, he was lacking _the ability to feel those feelings._ Was that it? He didn’t understand what their Decepticon mnemosurgeon who had revived his memories had meant by it.

“In short, all his memories are there, but not the feelings he has associated with them. When Alpha Q revived him, his memories and emotional circuits were locked down.”

“Bringing up locked-down memories is easier than bringing back the feelings associated with them. Having an objective view of his past is less fickle than feelings. Especially _certain, not-quite tanglible_ feelings.” The mnemosurgeon had explained, with a small smirk he couldn’t hide. Megatron didn’t care. Even if he had suspected Megatron’s motivation for doing this for Starscream was deeper than simply wanting a functional soldier, he couldn’t _understand…_

And yet again, Megatron was willing to defy all logic to allow Starscream to have the freedom of having those feelings for him again, whether they would revive as they were, develop into something stronger or weaker, or if he's finally come to his senses and betray him for brighter ideals, realise that he simply had never been worth it. 

_"At least it'd be_ you _betraying me, right, Starscream? You, not some pre-programmed action by me or the Autobots."_

He'd accept anything as long as it was Starscream himself acting.

According to their mnemosurgeon, all his memories were resuscitated, intact. They had simply been locked down, and it wasn’t a complex procedure to reactivate them. After all, their enemies might have wanted to take a look through them, see if there was anything to use. 

All the million years they'd spent together were there. But his emotional circuits were not. It was that simple.

With a bitter smirk, the mnemosurgeon had said, "I can make him love you." 

"Again," as if he too doubted he ever had.

"I don't want to force him to have feelings for me."

Starscream was there with them. No emotions visible on his face. There out of pre-programmed loyalty that had only been overwritten.

"What is it that you want, yourself," the mnemosurgeon has asked Starscream.

Optics squinted slightly, trying to figure out nuance. He wasn’t used to answering if it wasn’t an order.

"Describe the feeling you want the most."

He looked over at Megatron after the lack of response, then tried again,

"If not feeling per se, tell me your _need_. It doesn’t have to be tangible."

Starscream grit his teeth slightly, then his face calmed again before he spoke. 

"Belonging."

His voice was finally clear.

He swallowed, "I want, the feeling of wanting to belong to Megatron. I don't know if it was yearning or love or admiration or-, but I know there was something there. I want to make sense of the emptiness I feel when I think of him."

"Something that makes sense, in place of it."

The mnemosurgeon smiled, curious more than empathetic. "His desire to attach feelings to his memories is his strongest urge so far. Feelings to his memories _and_ current attachments."

Current attachments. His loyalty to Megatron and the Decepticons that were little more than a derailed reprogramming.

"Implanting feelings into his processor won't make a difference from how he is now," Megatron spoke, detached coldness in his voice. Was there really no possibility of him developing independent feelings on his own..? The closest thing he had expressed to an independent feeling so far was the desire to make sense of what he had.

Pre-programmed love, as undefinable as the concept of love was, wouldn't have any meaning, Megatron stubbornly thought. Would it fill the emptiness Starscream had spoke of, if he knew it was false? Starscream's blank optics told him nothing.

"There's a compromise," the mnemosurgeon finally brought up, with a sign "of sorts."

Megatron listened, curious.

"I'll run a program on him that gives him the ability of attaching feelings to his surroundings. He will be able to make sense of his memories, if he wishes to do so. He’ll be able to fall in love." hand gesture made a circle in the air, "Then, I’ll program it with a fifty percent chance of failure."

The mnemosurgeon continued, with optics glinting. "After installation, I’ll erase his memories of having had this programming installed. Then, whether his feelings for you develop into love, if his feelings for his past memories to you change into what he'd describe as love, neither of you will know if it's genuine or just him being programmed to feel that way."

"Or if it even makes a difference.” A smirk. “There's some kind of twisted beauty in it, isn't it?" Megatron ignored his addition, knowing the mnemosurgeon had the curiosity of a mad scientist. Megatron didn't want to play at his game but—

"I just want a change from how he is now. I can tell he's—". Unhappy. Megatron couldn't tell if he was projecting or not but he was sure Starscream wanted any kind of change. A possibility.

"Of course, he will have to consent himself before we start this procedure."

Starscream spoke, "I want to go through with the procedure.” Then added, voice calmer, “If it means this emptiness can change into something that makes sense."

The uncertainty of whether it would be his true feelings or just responding to what’s been programmed into him.

Finally, his expression changed into a small smirk. "And you know Lord Megatron, if I don't fall in love with you at all? What if I fall for someone else? Would that be bad luck or just fate? Or faulty programming..?"

The brat.

“Neither of us will know.”

Reluctantly he agreed to let Starscream go through with the procedure of installing the program. To bring back the possibility of a Starscream who would talk back and see through him and still want to be his. 

_His_ Starscream would want that too.


End file.
